


end up here

by traceylane



Category: The Maze Runner (2014), The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-23
Updated: 2014-12-23
Packaged: 2018-03-03 00:46:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2832032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/traceylane/pseuds/traceylane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>-save me from shitty dates au-</p><p>newt can't seem to go out with someone he can stand for more than an hour and alby is a good friend with a car</p>
            </blockquote>





	end up here

Alby gets the call around nine. He’s already settled into his sweats and a bowl of cereal for the night, but he can’t say he’s exactly angry about being interrupted.

He unlocks his phone, tucks it between his shoulder and his ear, and asks, all business, “Didn’t work out?”

“Well, hello to you, too. How’s your night been? Mine’s been great, thanks for asking. Asshole.”

Alby answers while chewing. “If that were true, you wouldn’t be calling.”

There’s a pause, and then Newt sighs into the receiver. “Correct. I’m hiding in the bathroom. They’ve got very cute soaps in here. Shaped like little shells.”

“At least the guy’s got good taste.”

“Well, that’s one thing going for him.”

Alby laughs, low and short, and puts his bowl in the sink. “I’ll be there in ten. You can tell me what happened when I get there.”

“You’re an angel.”

“So I’ve heard,” Alby says, and he hangs up.

\--

Newt’s sliding into the passenger’s seat at half past the hour, panting slightly like he had just run a mile instead of what he had actually just done—that is, push himself out of the tiny window in the restroom of the second best Italian restaurant in the city. 

He catches his breath before realizing Alby hasn’t started the car yet.

“What are you doing?” He shoves Alby’s shoulder, grabs his wrist and tries to force his fingers to grab the wheel. “Drive!”

“You just cut and run?”

“You know me too all too well, Alby.” He clicks on his seatbelt. “Drive.”

Alby shakes his head, but he’s smiling while he turns on the engine. “You amaze me constantly.”

Newt leans back onto the headrest and closes his eyes like he’s heard it all before. He echoes their conversation over the phone, “So I’ve heard.”

They pull out of the parking lot and Alby winces when Newt flicks on the radio that’s only ever used when he’s in the car. “I just don’t get it, y’know?”

“Get what? Why they keep making music like this?”

“Oh, shut up, you bloody elitist, pop music won’t kill you. I’m talking about the  _guy_.”

“The restaurant guy?”

“Who else would I be referring to?”

“Well, there’s that one, and there’s the one from a couple weeks ago at the movie theater with the hair gel, and then the week before that I rescued you from that art exhibit, and then there was the guy you would ‘sooner impale yourself with a harpoon’ before seeing again, and then just last month—”

Newt turns sideways, leans back and puts his hand on the back of Alby’s chair then looks over at him, coy. “Are you implying I’m a harlot, Alby?”

Alby rolls his eyes. “No. Just that you…”

Newt cuts in, arching an eyebrow, “Attract a lot of pricks?”

“…have high standards. And a short attention span.”

Newt crosses his arms, huffs. “My attention span is fine, thank you. As for my ability to weed out those unqualified for human interaction—also fine.”

“That isn’t your job.”

“Well, someone’s gotta do it, and you’re always busy, so that particular weight’s on  _my_  shoulders, isn’t it?”

“I’m always busy? You never seem to consider that when you call me up to be your getaway driver.”

Newt laughs, but it feels a bit strange, like he can’t tell whether Alby approves or disapproves of the situation—which, admittedly, is always something Newt’s cared about.

He turns to look out the window, his chin in his hand and his fingers folded over his lips. The lights pass quickly until they slow near the freeway entrance and queue behind the row of bright taillights, glowing red and crawling along the road in front of them.

“This one wouldn’t stop talking about his ex.” He starts again, tentative.

“Never a good sign.”

“Precisely. It was already weird, but then he kept bringing up the arms—”

Alby holds up his hand like he’ll be sick if he hears any more. “I get it. No need to continue.”

Newt smiles. “You know, there was a time when you thought my failed love life was hilarious.”

“There was, but lately I’ve been wondering when you’ll stop sending me on these retrieval missions.”

And that hits Newt a little funny. He’s always relied on the fact that Alby was as willing to rescue him as Newt was willing to be rescued, but the way the conversation’s been going, maybe time has passed and it isn’t as fun for him anymore.

So, although he should laugh again and say, “Me, too,” Newt says, “Well, wouldn’t you miss me?”

And Alby answers almost immediately, “I never said that.”

“Well, I would miss you,” Newt says, before he can stop himself.

(Because he’s starting to realize that the drive home with Alby is always more enjoyable than the place he’s driving away from, which, granted, is never very difficult, but that still means… something.)

And Newt gets the wind knocked out of him when he’s suddenly thrown forward towards the windshield and slammed back into his seat by the belt strapped across his front. They’ve made a very hard, very abrupt stop behind the last car in a long lane of traffic.

He gasps, “Alby!”

“Sorry,” the driver responds, not looking too shaken, but his grip has tightened on the steering wheel.

They continue their way down the freeway, and it’s silent for a while, save for quiet static and Top 40 bass lines.

“That was a joke,” Alby says, finally, “You can go on as many bad dates as you’d like. I won’t stop you.”

“Your jokes are terrible.”

“So I’ve heard.”

Newt smiles again, but then shrugs. He’ll stop kidding himself, now, as to the real reason why he keeps going on these stupid, awful dates.

“No, you’re right. I should stop bothering you with these ‘retrieval missions’ every weekend.”

Alby takes his eyes off the road to give him a hard look. “Newt—”

“You and I should go out. Next Friday. We can go back to that restaurant. The food was good, and it’ll probably be better with good company. Cut out the middle man, have a conversation that lasts longer than a car ride—watch it!”

Alby, who’s been staring just a bit too long at his passenger, swerves. The two of them are jostled again and they just miss another car moving in the other direction as they speed away from their exit and through the suburb.

They take a few moments to recover and Newt laughs. “And maybe I’ll be the one to drive.”

\--

They’re in front of Newt’s house when he unbuckles his seatbelt, turns and asks, “You never said yes or no.”

Alby looks at him with raised eyebrows,  _Is that so?_  “It’s not like I could say no. I’ve been keeping my Fridays free for a while now.”

“Oh, ha. A rare joke of yours that’s actually funny.”

And they give each other a lingering look before Newt finally moves to leave.

But as he’s about the slam the door behind him, Alby calls out, his hands still on the steering wheel, “I hope the next one works out.”

Newt peers into the car. “What was that?”

“Your next date. I never say this, because I usually wouldn’t mean it, but this time I hope the next one works out.”

And Newt leans over the passenger seat with his hand raised, like he’s going to give Alby a hard smack on the arm, but instead he leans a little further, puts the hand on his cheek and kisses him, lightly, before pulling away and sliding out of the car.

“I hope so, too. Good night, Alby.”

“Good night, Newt.”

**Author's Note:**

> Ugghghaghagaguhg FIRST NALBY PLEASE BE KIND TO MY POOR FRAGILE SOUL
> 
> OK first off, so much fucking dialogue I cannot DEAL I cannot deal, idk everything about this is ugh (except for this au, which i like, and i found on a list on tumblr somewhere a while ago but now i can't find it ;^;) also why do these single men have houses? Who knows.
> 
> And can I just say I started writing this the day I got the tmr blu ray and I read the comic and my alby characterization was kind of influenced by that, which is RIDICULOUS bc that thing is FUCKED UP and so my alby is just “???”and my newt has always been “??????????” (WHICH IS WHY I NEVER WRITE NALBY DO YOU SEE THE TRUTH NOW) and [wHIne WH I Ne whiNE] and I’m sorry please grant me your forgiveness T-T
> 
> prompts etc. maybe at my [tumblr](http://amazerunners.tumblr.com/ask)//thank you for reading and I’m sorry for typos I’ve been trying to be better about editing but I still miss things bc I edit at like 2am lol


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